Calypso
Calypso is the creator of the Twisted Metal contest. He grants any wish the contest winner desires, no matter what they desire. Wishes that are otherwise physically impossible are within his power. Calypso often punishes the winner with their own wish in some form of dark irony. This attribute, and his demonic-yet-charming demeanor means his character may have been inspired by the devil in folklore (he does receive his powers from demons, but he is not a devil himself). Calypso was a playable character in Twisted Metal 4, where he is seen driving a nuke mobile with a missile attached. Background Calypso, whose real name may have been William Sparks (referenced in Small Brawl), used to be an ordinary man with a wife and a daughter, Krista Sparks (born 1978). They both died in a freak accident in 1993, after he crashed their car into a brick wall. His face was severely burned in the accident, and he was apparently dead. He spent two solid years trapped in hell, until he escaped by stealing a wish-granting power (in the form of a ring) from a demon named Minion. He attempted to bring his wife and daughter back to life as well, but wasn't powerful enough. With the name Calypso, and the power to grant wishes, he hosted the first Twisted Metal tournament in 1995. He hosts the tournament because the souls of the people who die are trapped in the ring and add to his power. Twisted Metal also gives Calypso highly dramatic reunions with his daughter from time to time. At first, she is rebuilt as a cyborg by the FBI, and fooled into being a pawn to bring down Calypso. As time progressed and he became more powerful, Calypso was able to temporarily resurrect his daughter, but she was supposedly required to win Twisted Metal and wish for a full life. She accuses her father of using her to kill more people while he maintains that it was the only way to bring her back, but the actual nature of the situation is unknown. In Twisted Metal 2 (set in 2006), Minion competes in the tournament for revenge and if he wins, he tells Calypso "time to rot in hell with your little sister". The sister's name is never mentioned, and no other game discusses her. Skeptics believe it's either non-canon or Minion mistook his daughter for a sister. Twisted Metal Calypso makes his first appearance in Twisted Metal, played by a live actor (Charles Lance) with long, somewhat frizzy red hair and a badly burned face, wearing a sleek tuxedo. His voice was distorted and less human compared to the later games. Upon winning the contest, Calypso grants the wish of whoever the player's character is. However, for some characters, their wishes backfire. Twisted Metal 2 Calypso returns to Twisted Metal 2, this time in comic-book form. His appearance changes slightly, this time having more sleek hair, and a mildly burnt face, and appearing more charming than in the original. His wish-granting is still the same, however. He is voiced by Mel McMurrin. Twisted Metal 3 Calypso returns in Twisted Metal 3 looking similar to his Twisted Metal 2 rendition, although his face is no longer burned at all but still retains all the qualities listed in the previous games. And again, his wish-granting methods are still the same. He is again voiced by Mel McMurrin. Twisted Metal 4 Different than all other games, Calypso is actually a contestant in Twisted Metal 4, due to Needles "Sweet Tooth" Kane taking the ring from him and now being the one to run the tournament. Driver Name: '''Calypso '''Demeanor: '''Evil :"This is ridiculous, really; Twisted Metal is my tournament, it's my brainchild, it's mine! This will be proven soon enough and I'll serve this same foul humiliation back to that crooked, collapsed, cortex, criminally handicapped, overly-made up clown!" Vehicle '''Type: '''Nuke Mobile '''Handling: 1/5 Armor: 5/5 Speed: '''1/5 '''Special Weapon: 5/5 *Nuclear Missile: Calypso employs powerful nuclear missiles which must be detonated near his opponents. Ending All of Sweet Tooth's henchmen attack Calypso, but he takes them down fairly easily. He rushes for Sweet Tooth and they engage in a tug-of-war over the ring. The souls start escaping from the building and it starts to fall apart. The ring then is found by a kid on the street; inside the ring, one can still see Calypso and Sweet Tooth fighting, implying that they died and their souls were captured by the ring. Note: This ending has nothing to do with the original canon of Twisted Metal which consists of Twisted Metal, Twisted Metal 2 and Twisted Metal: Head-On. Twisted Metal: Black Calypso returns in Twisted Metal: Black, looking completely different from his previous renditions. In this version, he is bald, with a black glass eye and scarring on his chest. He also does not speak in any of the cut-scenes. His wish-granting methods in this rendition are slightly different and decidely malevolent. When confronted with a wish with violent or dark intentions (such as revenge), Calypso gives the winner exactly what they want and more; when the winner makes a noble wish (such as saving someone's life), he switches back to his classic wish-twisting ways. Twisted Metal: Small Brawl In Twisted Metal: Small Brawl, Calypso is reimagined in a more comical, less violent form. Now with the first name of "Billy", Calypso is portrayed as a black-shirted, spiky-haired bully who steals lunch money, forces the others to write his homework for him, and generally harasses the younger, smaller children in the neighbourhood. He still hosts the Twisted Metal tournament, but with remote-control vehicles rather than the full-sized machines of earlier games. As usual, Calypso grants the wish of whoever wins his tournament, although it is unknown if he does so through supernatural powers or simply by being sneakier and more influential in the neighbourhood than the other kids. Due to the lighter nature of the game, however, Calypso occasionally ends up with the short end of the stick, either as a side effect of the winner's wish (e.g. Needles) or because the champion has come to make him pay for his bullying ways (e.g. Agent Stone). Profile: "Billy" Calypso is a rude, despicable boy, who only picks on the smaller kids in the neighborhood. A true bully to the core, he takes lunch money and extorts homework assignments. Calypso is the kid that everyone avoids at school and wishes he would get expelled or put in detention forever... Now's your chance to get even! (even though the only character to ever really get revenge was Sweet Tooth.) Twisted Metal: Head-On Calypso's rendition in Twisted Metal: Head On is sort of a combination of his previous renditions. He still retains his sleek suit, hair, and figure, but has the glass eye and is balding on the top of his head. Again, his wish-granting methods are still the same; rarely granting anyone's wish to their satisfaction. Twisted Metal (2012) Calypso returns in Twisted Metal PS3 as the master of the tournament, once again. He is seen as the President of his own company Calypso Industries, which he might have set up as a cover for the Twisted Metal Tournament. This rendition of Calypso bears more resemblance to his appeareance in Twisted Metal 2, maintaining his sleek business suit and straight down hair. The only difference is that he has no burns on his face. As with other Twisted Metal games, his wish-granting abilities stay the same; often never giving what the contestants truly wish for. Upon the three contestants wishes, the following happens; Sweet Tooth's ending shows him being placed in the coffin of his daughter. She was shown to have commited suicide ten years ago. (He wished to be taken to where she was hiding all these years.) Mr. Grimm's ending shows him being taken back (as his current age) to the night where his father was killed. He was then shot by his younger self. (He wished to be taken back to the night his father was killed.) Dollface's ending shows her being taken to "the largest runway" which is actually an ainport runway. She is later hit by an airplane, and is seen as the only way the mask was removed. (She wished to be at the center of the biggest runway, shining brightly.) Calypso then makes a statement, saying "Your right Ms. Sparks, you do shine the brightest..." Downfall Despite his powers and penchant for twisting even the most innocent of wishes, Calypso has suffered a few defeats over the course of the series. His various downfalls are usually hypothetical and non-canon, proven when he appears alive and well in the next game. Twisted Metal: *''Darkside'' - Mr. Ash comes to claim "Black", his wayward demon, whom in this title, is the source of Calypso's powers. Calypso is distressed as Mr. Ash takes back Black and leaves. *''Mr. Grimm'' - Mr. Grimm has no wish but to collect Calypso himself. Calypso questions Mr. Grimm's proposal stating that they "had a deal" and he "needs more time", only for Mr. Grimm to retort, "There will be no deal this time, Calypso." Calypso is then chained to the back of Mr. Grimm's motorcycle, screaming in fear as the two head off into the distance. *''Pit Viper'' - (Text ending only) The driver wishes for a million dollars under the guise of Angela Fortin, but is actually Amanda X, an assassin who kills Calypso because she was hired by the people of L.A. to do so. She still takes the money. Twisted Metal 2: *''Grasshopper'' - Krista has no wish, despite being a robot, and revealing her plan to kill Calypso, she succeeds when he breaks down by her appearance, and embraces her. *''Minion'' - He has not come for a wish, but to merely get revenge on Calypso for stealing his powers and "stripping me of MY birthright" (which explains why Calypso can grant wishes) apparently eleven years ago (as according to Minion). Calypso gets intimidated, and when Minion forces him to be sent to Hell, he begs to be spared, but Minion, says, "Time to rot in hell with your little sister", and drops him laughing. *''Shadow'' - Mortimer also does not make a wish, instead telling Calypso that he has brought a "gift": the souls of everyone killed due to Calypso's tournament. The vengeful spirits surround Calypso and carry him away, only for him to escape and grab on to the wing of a plane. Twisted Metal 4: *Prior to the beginning of the game, Calypso was dethroned by Needles Kane (Sweet Tooth), who took the ring that was the source of his powers. This forced Calypso himself to join the next Twisted Metal tournament in order to reclaim his power and gain vengeance on Sweet Tooth. *''Calypso's Ending'' - After he wins the competition, Calypso storms into Sweet Tooth's lair and demands his powers and the competition back. He and Sweet Tooth fight over the ring, causing the souls in the ring to escape and destroy the building around them. A child later finds the ring, showing both Calypso and Sweet Tooth trapped inside it. Twisted Metal: Black: *''Sweet Tooth'' - Sweet Tooth had already thought of killing Calypso (as noted in Sweet Tooth's prologue), when they first met to discuss the competition, and what Sweet Tooth desired, so when he finally wins, Calypso offers a vial, that will cure the curse (due to the apparent fact that the vial contained the blood of the Preacher who attended Sweet Tooth's execution), but then Sweet Tooth would have to stop his killing ways (the consequence being the vial's effects will wear off, resuming the curse). However, Sweet Tooth would much rather live with the curse than stop murdering so he shatters the vial underfoot ("a man has to have his....priorities."), and proceeds to slice Calypso's neck "as well as I had ever killed anyone" (and amazingly, he isn't decapitated, the scene ends with Calypso lying dead at Sweet Tooth's feet). Now that he is "free", Sweet Tooth intends "to be the greatest (serial killer) of all time". [[Twisted Metal: Small Brawl|'Twisted Metal: Small Brawl']]:' *''Sweet Tooth - Calypso shows Sweet Tooth the ice cream truck that oddly resembles his R/C car and wonders why he would only think about ice cream when he could have anything he wanted. We later see Calypso strapped on the front of the car with Sweet Tooth driving. While Calypso begs to stop the car, we see police cars chasing him. *''Crimson Fury'' - Agent Stone encounters Calypso in a computer room, along with his pet cat. Stone gets a water pistol and sprays the cat, causing it to attack Calypso. *''Shadow'' - We see Calypso outsidewhat may be his secret base, explaining that Mortimer's frog is causing so much noise, he can't get inside. Mortimer then explains that the frog must have been exposed to some kind of radiation and quickly leaves the scene, saying: "On second thought, you can keep the frog." We later see the frog grow in size, collapsing the secret base and eating Calypso alive. *''Slam'' - Slam encounters Calypso in a dirt area and attacks with his R/C vehicle. Calypso mocks his efforts, but Slam points out that a full-sized loader is right behind the bully. Later, Calypso finds himself buried up to his neck in dirt, saying "I can handle this". However, out of nowhere, a porta-potty falls on top of him. Moments later, a construction worker enters the porta-potty, and Calypso begins screaming. '''Twisted Metal: Head-On: *''Sweet Tooth'' - Needles decides that he has had enough of being a mere contestant, and wishes that he and Calypso would switch places. Despite Calypso's protests, his powers activate, switching his mind with Needles. From his new position of power, Needles kills Calypso with the latter's former guards (now loyal to Needles, due to the switch) and becomes the master of the Twisted Metal tournament. *''Crimson Fury'' - Calypso tries to convince Agent Shepard to claim his prize, but instead gets arrested by a swarm of FBI agents. This is allowed because Agent Shepard technically didn't make a wish, so Calypso is not in control of the situation. Trivia *In Twisted Metal 2, the only endings in which Calypso does not thank the player for playing are Grasshopper's, Minion's, Outlaw 2's and Roadkill's. (He dies in Grasshopper's, is sent to hell in Minion's, also he cries when Minion tries to send him in hell, and never got the chance in Outlaw 2's and Roadkill's). *In Twisted Metal: Head-On, two characters look much like Calypso; Agent Shepard and Mortimer Scharf. This could imply something for a later Twisted Metal game, whether this is canon or not, still remains unknown. *Twisted Metal Black reveals that Calypso will only grant your wish without tricking you if the contestants have sadistic issues (most notable for Dollface, Junkyard Dog, Raven, Mr. Grimm, and Warthog). *Despite the fact he grant wishes, he can't use the ring to defend himself (such as when Cousin Eddy choked him or when Agent Shepard arrested him, furthermore he can't refuse the wish, such as when Sweet Tooth wished to switch bodies). So as a bottom line, Calypso can't use the ring to get himself out of a tight-spot. *Obviously Calypso is shown to be creative in a sadistic way such as most of the characters endings in any TM game (except Black, due to the characters having a thirst for vengeance.) had their wish turned around. *Because the ring can maintain his youth, therefore prolonging his life span, it's possible that Calypso has lived 100+ years (as stated by Mr. Grimm in TM:1). However, in TM:4, Sweet Tooth took the ring from him and he hasn't died from rapid aging, how that happened was unknown. Besides, as stated in the Background section, Calypso is believed to have been a "ordinary man" and had wife and child (Krista Sparks) born in 1978 which would make his advance age improbable. *Despite the ring's power, Calypso has shown to age into an elderly man (most notably in TM:Head-On), either because of a plot hole, or the creators wanted to make some adjustments to him. But in the upcoming Twisted Metal game for the PS3, he was shown to be in his 30's. *Calypso's Twisted Metal: Black appearance looks similar to his appearance in Twisted Metal: Head-On. only in Twisted Metal: Head-On, he has hair. *The only games that Calypso is not taken down in is Twisted Metal (2012) and Twisted Metal 3. In both games he is seen in great health after the outcome of everyone's wishes. *Twisted Metal (2012) does say "Thanks for playing Twisted Metal" only after seeing the secret ending after the credits. It's done by Calypso's voice actor, so it is intended to be Calypso saying it. Category:Characters Category:Vehicles Category:Twisted Metal Characters Category:Twisted Metal 2 Characters Category:Twisted Metal 3 Characters Category:Twisted Metal 4 Characters Category:Twisted Metal: Small Brawl Characters Category:Twisted Metal: Black Characters Category:Twisted Metal: Head-On Characters Category:Twisted Metal (2012) Characters